Need Heater advice

[E Schultz]

I know this is my first post i have been here for years but just like to read all of the threads. I know there is a wealth of knowledge out there. I have a log cabin in Western Pa. and i usually close it up in October and go back to Texas but this year i have a legal problem that will keep me here until after Christmas. My cabin is totally offgrid and my water comes from a rainwater collection system. My question is if anyone knows of a propane powered heater that has a thermostat that i can set at like 40 to 50 degrees and put in my pump house that would come on and off automatically. I have a heater currently but it has a standing pilot and runs continuosly and burns through the propane. I would like to be able to leave for a couple of days and not have to worry about the water freezing. I was thinking about an RV type furnace but was hoping there was something a little easier to use.

 

[Jackfre]

Rinnai EX 11, 17, 22 direct vent wall furnaces are simple to install, highly reliable and pricey. The vent is included and requires a 2.5” hole in the wall. The built in programmable t-stat has a feature that allows you to set it as low as 38*. the 22 model draws between 33-56 watts across its modulating burners operation.

 

[58Yeoman]

Whatever you choose should be vented, because if it's non vented, I'm sure the fumes will get bad enough in your pump house to shut off the heater.

 

[dcg9381]

I'm in Texas, on water collection, and have a pump house. The easiest thing to do would be an electric heater. But as you're "off grid" - I'm assuming that's not an option.

We have propane "backup" heaters, wall mount, ventless. They DO require a pilot light - so I don't think you're getting around that. I use them with 100 lb propane tanks and you can set them to turn on... They'll do a couple of weeks easy with a 100lb propane tank set at 40 degrees. Some concern in a small space that the 02 sensor would trigger and turn them off.

RV "propane heaters" - as you've mentioned are another option as they are electrostatically lit and don't burn a pilot. The down side of them, other than you'll find that they probably do more BTUs than you want is that the fan draw is not unsubstantial... I assume your solar panels get covered with snow at least part of the year - if you have them.

 

[finn]

It’s going to have to be a really tiny heater.

I bought a thermostatically controll electric pump house heater a couple of years ago. It’s, if I recall, only 400 watts. That’s only four incandescent light bulbs. Never seen an lpg heater that small.

 

[bobg03]

Depending on the size of your pumphouse maybe a Mr Buddy propane heater, it can be hooked up to a 20# cylinder in lieu of the small camping cylinders by using an adaptor kit they sell for it. They come in 2 different sizes.
We used to use one when ice fishing in a shelter tent and my buddy used one in his structurally built shack that he would drag out with a sled.

It was warm enough to sleep on Lake Champlain for the weekend.

 

[gmcgeo]

I know this is my first post i have been here for years but just like to read all of the threads. I know there is a wealth of knowledge out there. I have a log cabin in Western Pa. and i usually close it up in October and go back to Texas but this year i have a legal problem that will keep me here until after Christmas. My cabin is totally offgrid and my water comes from a rainwater collection system. My question is if anyone knows of a propane powered heater that has a thermostat that i can set at like 40 to 50 degrees and put in my pump house that would come on and off automatically. I have a heater currently but it has a standing pilot and runs continuosly and burns through the propane. I would like to be able to leave for a couple of days and not have to worry about the water freezing. I was thinking about an RV type furnace but was hoping there was something a little easier to use.

what is the size of the space you need to heat

 

[E Schultz]

That is one of the problems i am facing is that solar electric power is not as good in the winter as it is in the summer, and the space is small about 80 square feet. The rinnai mentioned earlier looks nice but requires AC power and i would like to avoid that if i could.

 

[gmcgeo]

EMPIRE DV35 DIRECT VENT or a DV215 is smaller one. requires no power to run unless you want to add a blower

 

[rawen2]

Search for diesel camp heaters. They require 12 volts DC to run.
Here's a link to a video for one of them. There are lots of videos on youtube about these heaters.

And here's a link to the one in the video.

VEVOR Diesel Heater 12V Diesel Air Heater Muffler 8KW Diesel Heater with LCD Thermostat Monitor & Remote Control for Car Trucks and Motor-Home | VEVOR US

Shop VEVOR Diesel Heater 12V Diesel Air Heater Muffler 8KW Diesel Heater with LCD Thermostat Monitor & Remote Control for Car Trucks and Motor-Home at lowest price, 2-day delivery, 30-day returns. Shop now at VEVOR.

www.vevor.com

 

[Pool Fixer]

I'd find the best heater for job based on size/performance/ease of install regardless of whether or not it was thermostatically controlled. No matter whay you buy, it will have a safety circuit in it. It's not difficult to wire in an old school capillary thermostat. very simple one wire in, one wire out on those. you can run millivolt up to 110v through them.

 

[dave*99]

You mention solar...... How about solar panels running an immersion heater in the water storage tank. No thermostat. Let the water be your thermal heat storage.
The diesel heater looks interesting.
Many of the propane heaters suggested have much more capacity than your 80 SF would need.

 

[dcg9381]

You mention solar...... How about solar panels running an immersion heater in the water storage tank. No thermostat. Let the water be your thermal heat storage.

I've had passive solar (thermosyphon) water heaters. They work amazing... If the sun is out. I'd assume up north you'd need to clear them from snow and that's probably a no-go.

 

[ez-duzit]

Many diesel heaters require no electricity.

 

[Wheelingit]

How many gallons do you store?

 

[E Schultz]

currently storing 5,000 gallons underground.

 

[CraigStu]

I have no familiarity w/ a system like yours but here is a question. Is there any way to drain the cabin and the pump so there would be no water above ground. I am assuming that the underground tank itself would never freeze.

 

[E Schultz]

Normally Draining the system is what i do when i leave in October, but this year i am forced to stay through December and want to continue to use the water system during the cold weather. I have a neighbor who is trying to claim a piece of my property as his own and he keeps getting the court date delayed thinking i will leave and then the case will be dismissed (which is not going to happen). If i stay at the cabin all the time it is not a problem i just go out and start the heater for a while and then go out and turn it off a little while later. The wife wants to go to a Christmas Market which will require us to be gone for three days, if it isn't too cold then everything will be fine, but if it is then i may have a problem. The current heater that i have is manually controlled and will run about 48 hours on low.

 

[dcg9381]

Any way you can circulate the water back to underground? You'd basically be getting the thermal energy from the ground.... Again, off grid, I dunno how much you can realistically run the pump on your power supply.